Over 400 young swimmers from 50 schools in the Greater Accra Region have completed a one-day drowning prevention course at the University of Ghana Swimming Pool at Legon.
The course, which was characterized by much fanfare and enthusiasm from the young swimmers, was organised by the Felix Foundation and the Ghana Education Service.
The participating schools included Ashongman One, Two and Three, Adenta Basic JHS, God Is Great, Day Spring and Divine Victory.
The young swimmers were taught how to use a life-jacket, how to wear and take it off with immediacy, as well as pep-talks on dangers across water bodies and how to prevent them.
They were also taken through how to do the various swimming strokes, including butterfly, breaststroke and the backstroke.
An educationist, Susana Rahi Kennedy, who is the Regional Basic Schools Coordinator for Greater Accra, challenged parents whose children attended public schools to endeavour to send their children for training on drowning prevention.
“I could see a lot of private school pupils here but I can’t see many students from public schools and this is bad for the country since many children attend public schoolsâ€, she noted.
She called for a serious approach towards institutionalising drowning prevention in the country to help save children from drowning.
The course instructor, Mr Felix Lucky Uzor of the Felix Foundation, said the event was the climax of a year-long swimming and drowning prevention project for young swimmers across the country.
He expressed the hope that the seminar would help young talents to be careful around water bodies and also prevent drowning whenever they find themselves around water bodies.
Source: Graphiconline